Judges Chapter 21 concludes the Book of Judges as the Children of Israel are faced with the devastating consequences of their civil war against the tribe of Benjamin. What began as a demand for justice, following the crime committed in Gibeah, escalated into a national tragedy that nearly resulted in the complete extinction of one of Israel's twelve tribes.

With only six hundred Benjamite men surviving the conflict, Israel now faces a dilemma of its own making: Saving the Tribe of Benjamin. How can the tribe of Benjamin be preserved when the men of Israel have sworn an oath before YeHoVaH not to give their daughters in marriage to the surviving Benjamites? The chapter opens with the Children of Israel gathering at Bethel, weeping before YeHoVaH over the loss of one of their tribes and closes with a final declaration that summarizes the spiritual and moral condition of Israel throughout the period of the judges.

Other Teachings: Judges Series, Israel’s Second Civil War – Judges 20:1-48, The Name of God

Why couldn’t Israel simply give wives to the surviving men of Benjamin? Arthur Bailey teaches that the men of Israel had sworn an oath before YeHoVaH not to give their daughters in marriage to the Benjamites, and after the war only six hundred Benjamite men were left. Israel grieved over the tribe that was nearly cut off, but the vow they had made still stood, and the Book of Judges never gives a reason for it. He calls it a rash decision and draws the lesson for Believers: be careful what you commit to, inquire of YeHoVaH before you make a commitment, and hold your actions up to the light of His Word instead of justifying them. The book closes with the statement that sums up the whole period: there was no king in Israel, and every man did that which was right in his own eyes.